The European Union and Canada will form the core of the ‘Alliance for the Future’, focussed on critical minerals, resilient supply chains, and defence, Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced at the EU-Canada Summit.
At the EU-Canada Summit, Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday announced that the EU and Canada will form the core of the ‘Alliance for the Future’, focussed on critical minerals, resilient supply chains, and defence.
Von der Leyen pitched the Alliance as a framework to safeguard sovereignty from threats and securing national interests amid the ongoing global churn. She said that other countries will be welcome to join the Alliance.
In a reference to US President Donald Trump’s economic, political, and military coercion, von der Leyen said that that economic relationships once considered sources of stability were increasingly being used as instruments of pressure.
“When trade becomes a tool of economic pressure, it is families that pay the price, from the supermarket shelf to the cost of a new car. We are seeing in real time our sovereignty being attacked,” said von der Leyen, according to The Associated Press.
In his second term, Trump has vowed to annex Canada and make it an American state and declared weakening the EU and replacing moderate governments across Europe with far-right regimes as state policy. He has taken economic and political actions towards these objectives, ranging from tariffs to disinformation campaign and endorsement of far-right parties.
More from WorldAnd Canada and the EU have moved closer than ever before to not just put a united front to tackle Trump’s threats but to also reduce reliance on the United States for trade and defence. Von der Leyen has pressed for Canada to become an ‘associate member’ of the bloc, and the country is the only non-European in the EU’s €150-billion Sage defense procurement programme.
‘We need to reimagine partnerships build on trust’
Von der Leyen said that Canada and the EU cannot remain shackled to the old-world order.
“We can no longer let ourselves be shackled by the limits of the old-world order. We need to imagine partnerships that are built on trust and driven by common interests and beliefs. As Mark Carney has said, the international order will also be built from Europe, with Canada as part of it,” said von der Leyen.
Carney said the Alliance would help Canada withstand economic shocks and prevent foreign governments and technology companies from dictating its choices.
“Why does sovereignty matter in a dangerous and divided world? It allows us to withstand shocks. It allows us to live our lives as we choose,” said Carney.
Amid confusion about the name of the EU-Canada partnership, as some EU members have objected to naming Canada as an ‘associate member’, Carney said the name did not matter as the relationship was not a marketing exercise.
Von der Leyen described the proposed EU-Canada relationship as an “association without accession” and said: “Canada cannot become a full-fledged member of the EU because of geography, but we both want to bring our relationship to the highest level possible. This is why we are discussing the idea of Canada becoming the first associate member of the European Union.”
